Nathan’s Story

As sovereign nations, tribal governments are not required to follow state law, but given the significant negative health effects of smoking, and the disproportionate morbidity and mortality among Native Americans for use of and exposure to commercial tobacco, that many tribes are voluntarily making casinos smokefree and expanding existing commercial tobacco-free tribal policies to include casinos.

Nathan, who is in his early 50s, was surrounded by secondhand smoke every day at work. This caused permanent lung damage and triggered severe asthma attacks. Nathan himself never smoked. In this TV commercial from CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers campaign, Nathan tells viewers that because of his health problems, he can no longer work at the same job or participate in some of his favorite activities.

Click on the image to watch the video Nathan’s Story about the impact of secondhand smoke on a tribal casino employee.